Educational Approaches for Tackling Cyberbullying
It is indisputably true that education is invoked by researchers and practitioners as an essential element to reverse the growth of cyberbullying and to mitigate the serious negative mental and physical consequences it has on victims. The key idea emerging from expert opinion is that online safety education and anti-cyberbullying educational programs are both essential in schools. These programs should involve, at different levels, students, educators, and parents. However, designing and running effective educational programs requires not only the comprehensive knowledge of the cyberbullying phenomenon but also educational competencies. In this chapter, the leading educational approaches adopted in cyberbullying educational interventions will be introduced highlighting the underlying psychological theories on which their effectiveness has grounded. In particular, participatory approaches, as well as peer education, will be introduced and discussed since they are universally recognized to be the most fruitful in cyberbullying educational programs.